When it comes to doing any sort of public speaking, it’s important to have an outline that you can follow – even if it’s just point-form notes – in order to effectively communicate to your audience. It’s too easy to forget what you wanted to say, miss a point entirely, or suddenly feel nervous and stumble along.
It’s a wonder, then, that a number of sales teams and reps will opt out of using call scripts when making calls to contacts, prospects, and leads. Many think that scripted calls can sound unauthentic and turn the customer off of the conversation. But if your call scripts are turning away customers, then it’s not because call scripts are ineffective, but rather because you just haven’t nailed the script down yet.
Here are three essential elements of making a call script that will enable your sales reps to engage with customers better, as well as build a better sales call voicemail script that they can use to leave a message if there is no answer.
Call Scripts Shouldn’t Sound Scripted
You’ve probably been there before – you pick up the phone only to be bombarded with a sales pitch without even a chance to get a single word in. From the get-go, you know that you’re being fed a scripted sales pitch, where even one unexpected question can throw the caller off.
Instead, a sales script should sound natural and engage the receiver from the very beginning. Even if you’re just leaving a message, the purpose shouldn’t be to leave a sales pitch but rather to start a future conversation. So, instead of a long pitch, a sales call should about asking questions.
What’s In It for Them?
Continuing from above, when engaging with a prospect over the phone, it’s important that your conversation is focused on the customer – not on what a sales rep wants. Of course, the ultimate goal is to make a sale, so naturally you may be tempted to focus on the product or service you offer.
Instead, a sales script should focus on the customer and their pain points. The prospect needs to know “What’s in it for me?” and this can be accomplished by asking the right questions. In this sense, a sales script is much like a clue sheet for finding out what the customer’s needs are, which in turn enables you to let them know what’s in it for them – or rather, how the product or service will help solve their problems.
Scripts Should Have Branching Options
Like any organic conversation, the dialogue between two people will evolve and change depending on what is said. Simple scripts can fail to provide branching options that guide the sales rep to the right speaking points based on what the prospect has said. Simple scripts with out branching logic can leave sales reps cold and alone without a clue of what to say next.
Dynamic scripting software (or logical branch scripting) provides branching options of dialogue depending on which options the sales rep clicks depending on the prospect’s responses. It’s all about being informed and prepared in order to avoid being stuck without the necessary information needed to answer any questions that the prospect might have.
By integrating these three essential elements, you’ll be well on your way to developing a call script that actually works and provides lasting results.
